Red Horizon
by Speklez
Summary: When Edward left, not all the Cullens gave Bella a 'clean break'. FAGE 9 The Last Ride story written for Mama4Dukes. Rated for Language. (Literally for Language. There are NO adult situations)
1. Chapter 1

**FAGE 9**

 **Title:** Red Horizon

 **Written for:** Mama4Dukes

 **Written By:** Speklez

 **Rating:** M for language (literally for language. There are NO adult situations)

 **Summary/Prompt used:** When Edward left, not all of the Cullens gave Bella a 'clean break'.

 **A/N~** Okay, so, for my readers waiting for Jagged Edges: I hate to say it, but the wait is going to continue for a little longer. I have a book release upcoming, and that takes priority over fanfictions. This story is completed, and will post throughout the day. As soon as my time opens up to allow for free writing, I will be continuing JE, but I'm not sure when that's going to be. Bare with me, though, and I'll get back to it as soon as I can~ promise.

 **Chapter 1 BPOV**

 _I stood frozen, eyes wide as I looked at the man that stood in the middle of my bedroom floor, gazing back at me with a look I couldn't decipher. It had been months since the last time I saw his face, and I was truly beginning to wonder if I had finally lost my damn mind._

 _I licked my lips as my brows drew down in confusion. "Jasper?"_

 _He looked just as I remembered, though he didn't wear the remorse or regret he had the night of my birthday. He didn't even look a little sorry for taking a snap at me or being the reason I was abandoned. He just crossed his arms and cocked his head. "You're surprised to see me. Interesting."_

 _Crossing my own arms, I looked down. "I thought I would never see any of you again, so yeah, I'm a little surprised to see you here."_

" _But you're not afraid."_

 _Eyes snapping back up, I sucked in a breath before shaking my head. "Not really. I'm just curious as to why. If you're here to apologi..."_

 _I was cut off by a very loud snort as Jasper's face melted into impassiveness. "What the fuck would I have to apologize for? I'm not the one that did anything wrong."_

 _Now I was getting a little angry. "You tried to eat me."_

 _He snorted again, and this time, he smirked too. "What's your point? Eating humans is what I'm designed to do. I fail to see how following my nature is me doing something wrong when you went against your own and was there at all." I had nothing to say to that, so he continued. "Like I said, I'm not the one that did anything wrong."_

 _Pressing my lips together, I looked away for a long moment before I cut my eyes back, a little more irritation in my voice. "Then why are you here?"_

 _He simply lifted a shoulder. "Just because I didn't do anything wrong doesn't mean I don't feel bad about what happened. No, you never should have been brought into our coven. We never should have been a part of your life. However, you did, and we were. Those two facts puts both you and us in a very precarious situation, and I'm not a fan of being in those. I've been in enough over the years, and I'll be damned if someone else's decisions and actions keep me in one."_

 _I had a feeling I knew what he was getting at, but I just had to make sure. "You're talking about your rules, aren't you? The one about humans knowing." He nodded and I gulped. "What are you going to do?"_

 _He rolled his eyes and moved across the room, taking a seat on the top of my desk. He then propped his feet on the chair and laced his fingers together between his bent knees as he leaned forward on his thighs. "Surprisingly, I'm not here to actually hurt you. Though I should just snap your neck and be on my way. I'm not going to, but you need to listen to me. You're here, alone, and there is a very good chance of what I'm sure will be a shock to him, that Edward was wrong. You have enemies, Bella. Enemies you shouldn't have, and that's our fault. We left without making sure those enemies weren't going to be a problem because that little asshole knows how to throw a tantrum. I can't, in good conscience, simply leave you to your fate against these enemies without giving you at least an ass's hair of a chance to survive.. even if the rest of them can. I'm not built to leave lady in what is basically a hopeless situation."_

 _Sitting down on my bed, I looked at him with an expression that was a cross between confusion and fear. "What are you talking about? Did Alice see something?"_

 _Again, Jasper just shrugged. "Dunno. Didn't ask. Probably wouldn't tell me even if she did. What I do know is vampires, and a lot of those want you dead."_

 _I'm pretty sure my heart stopped. I felt cold, and for a moment, I know I wasn't breathing. When I caught my breath, I whimpered. "Victoria." Jasper gave a sharp nod, and I swallowed hard. "I thought she wasn't supposed to be a problem."_

 _There was a quiet growl on the air, and Jasper glared at the wall. "That's what the rest are convinced about, too. I know better, which is why I'm here." He stood then, reached into his front pocket, and pulled out a cell phone. "When I leave, you are never going to see me again. I will not come back, and no one else will either. You can keep trying to email, call, text, whatever you want, but you are never going to get an answer." That was when he held up the phone between his thumb and forefinger. "This phone is restricted. There is one number programmed. If you are ever in any trouble, or see anyone you know isn't human, call it."_

 _I looked at the phone for a short moment before I looked back at Jasper. "Who's going to be on the other end?"_

 _He set the phone down on my desk and walked to my door, clearly getting ready to leave. "A friend of mine."_

 _When his hand touched the doorknob, I shot off my bed, crying out for him to wait. I felt tears in my eyes as I looked at the vampire looking back at me. My throat was tight, but I forced the words out. "I'm really never going to see you again? Any of them?"_

 _He shook his head, making my heart shatter. "No. I know it doesn't feel like it, seem like it, but believe me when I say it's for the best, for everyone. The one thing Edward had always been right about is that we are no good for you. What you have yet to either realize or even give a fuck about is, you're are no good for us either. Inter-species relations aside Bella, you shouldn't know, and we shouldn't allow you to know and live. It's only a matter of time before people find out. This isn't something that can be kept a secret forever. It will get out, and when it does, Victoria will be the least of your problems... and ours."_

 _I licked my lips again, and took a step forward. "Who's on the other side of the phone?"_

 _A slow smirk pulled at the corner of Jasper's lips as his eyes sparked with a malicious amusement. "The only person on the planet that can help you." When I jolted, he chuckled in his throat. "Just remember, there are more than just vampires out there, and all supernaturals are dangerous. If you want to live, you'll use the phone when you find them... or when they find you."_

It wasn't long after that I found out I attracted all things supernatural, and I didn't _like_ all things supernatural. I wasn't a fan of the pack down the highway, and I stayed away from them as best I could. They were preachy, judgy, and just... really cold when it came to me and my past relationship with a coven of vampires. But, no matter how far out of my way I went to stay out of theirs, they didn't offer me the same. They hovered, and not in a good way. It was uncomfortable, and nothing I said made them stop. I wasn't sure if it was because of Jake, or my dad, or whatever their reasons were, but it set me on edge more than it put me at ease.

Jake told me more than once they were 'protectors', but I certainly didn't feel protected. I felt like I was I was being corralled like livestock or hunted like prey and it past irritating and annoying weeks ago. I didn't know why they were always there, and none of them would tell me. What I did know was, I didn't like it. It scared me, horribly.

So that's what brought me here, a year after I last saw Jasper, looking at the never used phone with my bottom lip between my teeth, thumb hovering over send. I could hear them moving around the forest through my open window after they were told in no uncertain terms to leave me the fuck alone.

Looking up from the screen, I saw a blur of red and steeled myself as I closed the window and hit the green button.

Setting my phone to my ear, I waited, counting the rings. It took four before there was a deep, smooth voice in my ear. " _This is what you're gonna do."_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** Last author note for the story... and this chapter is just so you didn't think this was a one shot *winks*

 **Chapter 2 BPOV**

I guess it sort of goes without saying I've never been the brightest crayon in the box. I mean, I'm smart as far as actual knowledge, but common sense and self-preservation have never been my strong suits. That was once again proven when I actually followed the directions the random voice on the other side of the phone gave me. Why? I can't say, because at no point was I given a name. Just told where to go first and the next stop would be revealed. Though, as I stand here in line at a bank in Seattle, I'm actually questioning my literal intelligence.

I know I was followed, too. Jake's beater of a car was a little hard to not see with it being a bigger piece of junk than my truck. I was told to expect that, though, and not to worry... that it wouldn't matter once I got to the bank. I guess it just went to show you how afraid of them I was, that I would rather blindly follow some unknown man's instructions than stay back in Forks with those creatures running around my house. I was sent to the post office in Port Angeles where there was an overnighted package waiting for me, which contained a key and a note that told me it was to a safety deposit box at a bank in Seattle.

I kept glancing over my shoulder, looking every time the door opened, waiting to see those brown eyes so full of scorn looking back at me. Whichever one of them followed me, I didn't see any of them before I heard next and stepped up to the counter. I gave the pretty young blonde behind the glass a smile, and kept my voice light, hoping my emotions didn't give away my nerves.

"Hi. My name is Isabella Swan, and I have a safety deposit box I need access to, please."

The woman smiled back and began to type, which made me super nervous because I didn't actually have what I said I did. I was only told I did. The longer she stayed quiet, the more I began to fidget. By the time she looked at me again, I was ready to tell her I was big fat liar. But, to my surprise, all she did was ask me for my ID. Once I showed it to her, she stood from her stool and waved me behind the counter to follow after her. She made some kind of small talk, but it wasn't until we were in the vault she actually looked at me.

"Do you have your key?"

Shit...

Biting into my bottom lip, I made a noise in the back of my throat and lifted a shoulder after looking at my key ring, picking out the newest addition. "Yeah. Here it is."

All she did was smile, take my keys, then unlock the box on the table without opening it. Handing me back my keys, she stepped back and headed for the open vault doors. "Take all the time you need, Ma'am. Just put the box back in the wall when you're done. The door will automatically lock once it's closed. Just make sure you remember to lock your deposit box again before you do."

I nodded at her back as she left, opened the box, and pulled out the paper that was on the top.

 _Clear the box. Take it all and return the key on your way out. Everything you need from this point on is here. Use the wallet and go through the envelopes in order. Just remember..._

 _Time is not on your side._

 _PW_

Well... if that didn't jump start someone's heart.

Doing what the note said, I grabbed everything that was in the box, shoved it in my backpack, closed the lid, replaced the box in the wall, then closed the door like the teller told me to. When I heard a magnetic sounding click, I left the vault, removing the key from my ring as I walked back to the front window. To both my shock and delight, there was an open teller, so I headed over to a smile, told him I wouldn't be needing the deposit box anymore. Though he was 'sorry to hear that', he took the key, I signed a piece of paper, and was on my way.

Once I was back in my truck, I sat there for a moment before opening my backpack to pull out the large, sealed envelope... and just looked at it. I know the note said time wasn't my friend, but I mean really, I was blindly following directions from someone I didn't know and had only spoken to once. Was I really going to continue?

I lifted my eyes to scan the parking lot, sucking in a breath when I saw Jake's car on the other side, every available seat occupied, which answered my question.

Breaking the seal, I dumped it on the seat next to me. Three smaller envelopes fell out that were numbered, along with a wallet. Ignoring the wallet for now, I grabbed the one marked '1', and opened it, blinking at the sight of a lot of cash. But, there was card in there as well, so that's what I grabbed, only to find out it was a business card for an auto body shop that was somewhere in the city.

Glancing back at Jake's car, I bit my lip before digging out my phone, pulled up the GPS, and input the address. It wasn't far, which was good. I wasn't a fan of city driving.

Starting my truck, I slowly pulled out my spot, then carefully left the parking lot. Following the directions my phone gave me for the fifteen mile, very turny drive, I kept looking in my rearview, but I hadn't seen Jake's care for the last three turns. That brought a small smile to my face as I pulled into the parking lot of the body shop I was sent to. Parking in a spot on the other side of a much bigger truck to try and hide mine from being seeing from the street, I cut the engine, grabbed the wallet out of my bag, as well as the envelope full of cash, then went inside.

From the outside, the place didn't look like anything special, but once you went through the door, it was clearly a very expensive place to have work done on your car. It was nothing but posh, plush, and luxury. If it wasn't such a gamble, I would love to take a nap on the over stuffed looking couch, but I was able to push down the thought as I made my way to the counter where there was a very attractive looking man at the computer.

With a smile on my face, I cleared my throat to catch his attention. When he gave it to me a moment later, I froze. Scratching the bridge of my nose, I looked away from what were clearly red covering brown contacts to calm down before looking back and smiling again. "Hi. I'm here to pick something up."

His head tilted to the side, knowledge that I knew what he was sparking in his eyes, but he remained pleasant. "And that is?"

Leaning a little closer to him, I gave a single breathless chuckle. "See, that's the thing. I don't know. I was just told to come here."

I watched as a single brow slowly slid up his forehead and he leaned closer to me, also lowering his voice. "Can I see your ID?"

Remaining as calm as I could, I nodded and opened the wallet I got from the bank, then slid out the driver's licence, glancing at the name out of curiosity. It was my actual first and middle names, but the last name wasn't.

Handing it over, I wrapped both hands around the envelope still in my possession, cocking a brow at his reaction to the ID. His eyes snapped up to mine, and his voice seemed both impressed and slightly scared. "Just a moment, please." I nodded and watched him leave the office through a door I had to assume was to the garage, because it got pretty loud until the door closed again.

I wasn't left to wait long before he came back in the room with someone else. The new comer was probably pretty close to my dad's age, and the green eyes allowed me to relax. He didn't really pay me any mind at first, just got right on the computer, typing like a fiend. While he did that, I kept looking over my shoulder, searching what all I could see from the bay sized window. I was actually kinda startled when the man in front of me spoke. "Everything alright, Ma'am?"

Returning my attention to the man, I nodded, though I know my voice gave away the lie, so I tried to tame it a bit. "I'm fine. Just... in a hurry, that's all. I'm running a little late."

He didn't look like he believed me, but he nodded to the explanation nonetheless. "This won't take me all that long. You know, I've been doing mods to vehicles for Peter for years, but it's always been trucks, and they were always shipped to him when they were done. When he called telling me to pick up the coupe and didn't tell me where to send it, I was pretty shocked. Guess now I know why."

I blinked, not only because he knew this mysterious vampire that had me running all over Washington, but knew him well enough to know his name. "And that would be why?"

He looked at me like I was an idiot while he handed me back the bogus ID. "Because you're standing in front of me. No reason to ship it if it's getting picked up." I actually blushed at his words, and he looked back at the computer. "Okay, the balance on the account is $8,834. That's for transport from the dealership and overtime fees. How did you plan on taking care of that." I didn't have the slightest idea how much money was in the envelope, so I just handed it over, and he took it without even looking inside. "Great. I'll have someone bring your car around. You be safe now."

Nodding back, I went back outside to get my things out of my truck. Running my hand down the side one last time, I sighed as I walked across the parking lot, waiting for whatever this coupe was that I just gave up my truck for. I was about to lean on the side of the building when I heard the roar of an engine, then snapped my attention to the drive on the other side of the garage doors. My jaw dropped when a beautiful, sleek black Mustang gt500 convertible came rolling into view. I had no idea what to expect to be brought to me, but a brand new $60,000 dollar car was not it. I didn't want to know what this Peter guy had done to it, or how much more it cost than just the sticker price. I also really did want to.

My hand was over my gaped open mouth when the vampire I first saw when I went inside opened the door and climbed out of the car. It took quite a bit of effort to pull my eyes away from the car; I was sure I looked ridiculous when they landed on the overly amused vampire who was looking back at me when I did. My voice was airy when I was able to force it out. "This is mine?"

He chuckled and nodded. "It is if you can drive a stick."

Shaking my head, I picked up my bag and slowly made my way over to the open door, getting a look at the leather seats, dashboard lights, and the touch screen counsel. "I can."

He moved out of my way, and as I slid into the seat, he began to point out what the different buttons did. When I nodded again, he propped one arm on the open door, the other on the top of the windshield. "I'm going to pretend I never saw you, and you're going to forget you ever saw me. I really hope Peter knows what he's doing."

Licking my lips, I looked over at him with a sigh. "That would be two of us." He told me to drive safe and closed the door. Before I even touched the clutch, I rolled down the window, calling out to him to come back over really quick. When he was back at the car, I looked at my truck before looking back at him, lowering my voice enough I knew no one would hear me but him. "I was followed to Seattle by a group of five guys that aren't... they aren't vampires but they aren't human. I don't know what they are, exactly. Um, werewolves or something, but I do know they don't like your kind and they know that truck. My dad bought it from one of them."

I watched as his eyes changed behind his contacts before he stood back up, his hand still on the door frame of the car. His head turned a bit, I assumed so he could look around the area before looking back at me while holding out his hand. "I'll deal with them, but I'm going to need that truck key." He then tapped his hand on the roof of the car and nodded his head to the side when I handed it over. "Off you go. I would suggest, though, if you're being followed to leave the top up. It'll keep your scent inside... make it harder to find you if dogs are sniffing around."

I gave him an unsure smile and nodded. "I'll do that. Thanks."

He nodded once again and stood back up. "Tell Peter Grant said hi."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 BPOV**

I love this car!

I was never really one for expensive things or having the best of anything, but God, this car was amazing. I had followed Grant's suggestion to keep the top up until I was out of the city, but it was such a beautiful day for North West Washington, I couldn't help putting it down when I stopped at a rest area to figure out what I was supposed to do now.

Another thing that was weighing pretty heavy on my mind was the fact I didn't say a word to my dad. He was at work when I left this morning, and there was no way I was going to be able to explain anything to him. Not where my truck was. Not where this car came from. None of it. Even if I could come up with some kind of plausible explanation for the car situation, how the hell was I supposed to explain anything else?

Leaning on the hood of the car, I sighed and kicked at the ground, just waiting. When I opened the '2' envelope at the body shop, all it had in it was a note that told me to head south and pull off at the third rest stop. I stopped at the first to put down the top to my car, and now I was at the third, just standing here, doing nothing but waiting. I had been here for like a half hour; honestly, I was getting really bored. But, not once had I had the feeling of being watched or followed since I stopped, and I had it for a while. I wasn't sure if those guys were still interested in following me, or if I had actually lost them because this car is awesome, but the fact remained I actually felt safe. That was nothing but a good thing after so long of feeling otherwise.

After so long, though, I was getting hungry and I really had to pee. So, with a look around the parking lot, I decided I had waited long enough, and I was going to go use the bathroom. Taking a the two minutes it took to put the top up, I tossed my backpack in the trunk, took my phone and the one I had been given, locked the car, then headed inside.

I had tried not to take too long, but I really had to go. I also stopped at the vending machines for something to drink, making a mental plan to find a place for food once I found out what I was supposed to do next. Taking my Coke, I headed back outside, freezing when I saw a car parked next to mine. Looking around a bit, I swallowed hard and continued on my way, but much slower than I had been. It was a pretty nice car, so I knew it wasn't Jake and his friends, but mine was the only car when I went in. There was plenty of other parking, so it was a little off putting to find someone parked next to me.

I was a little over half way back when the passenger side door opened at the same time the phone I was given chimed in my back pocket. Pausing, I pulled it out and flipped it open, seeing a text waiting for me. Glancing back at the guy that was now standing next to the car he got out of, not moving, I opened the text and nearly sagged to my knees when I read it.

 _His name his Leon, and he doesn't bite that often._

Letting out a breath, I held the phone in my hand as I finished closing the distance between me and this Leon, though I went to my car and not actually to him. I tried to smile, but he wasn't wearing contacts, and the red was as off putting as it always had been. "You're a friend of Peter's?"

The guy snorted slightly, but grinned back at me without what seemed to be a care in the world. "Sure, why not? Known him long enough."

Not really sure what to say to that, I just nodded. "Well... um... can I help you?"

His grin only widened as he crossed his arms. "Nope. I'm here to help you. There is quite a bit of shit in your way, so I have been asked to see you through it for the time being."

Playing with the bottle in my hands, I frowned slightly before cocking my head to the side. "Why? I mean, why isn't he here himself instead of all this running around and secret stuff he's been doing all day."

Leon rolled his head on his shoulders slightly, scratching the under part of his chin. "Well, he's not in the country at the moment. He's on his way back, but this is the best he could do on such short notice. The bank thing has been set up for a while, from my understanding. Everything else was thrown together on the fly because he wasn't completely sure when you would call."

I nodded slowly. "Okay... do you know where he is?"

It was then Leon moved from around the car parked next to mine, then walked over to mine. "He was somewhere in Europe when he called me, so I would imagine he's either still somewhere in Europe, or on a plane."

While he was talking, I got my book bag out of the trunk, throwing it into the back seat. Setting my hands on the top of the car, I licked my lips. "Well, do you know what to do next? My instructions ran out when I got here. The last envelope I have doesn't tell me what to do, so I had thought it was more to just make sure I can do it."

He nodded as he opened the passenger door. "That's exactly what it's for. By my understanding, the credit cards he gave you aren't active just yet. You'll need to call and activate them yourself since they are finally in someone's possession, but you can't do that until Monday. Since it's Saturday, you'll need money until then."

Sliding into the seat, Leon following suit, I looked at him as I started my car and closed the door. "He left a lot of money for just two days."

The look on his face told me I wasn't really going to like what was about to come out of his mouth. When he spoke, I was right. "Vegas is an expensive city."

I slammed on the breaks, my head snapping to the side. "I'm not old enough to go to Vegas!"

A slow smirk pulled at Leon's lips. "Are you sure?"

I scoffed. "I might not have even the slightest idea what the hell is going on, but I know how old I... the fuck are you doing?"

He had grabbed my backpack from the backseat and was digging through it. When he found what he was looking for, he pulled out the wallet I had gotten from the bank, then opened it. Sliding the new ID out, he looked at it for a short moment before holding it out to me by two fingers. "Sure looks like you're old enough to me."

Snatching the card from him, I looked at the date of birth and my jaw dropped before I looked back at him. "Do I look 22 to you?"

He just shrugged as he set the seat back into a reclined position and settled in for what now was a hellacious drive. "Doesn't matter. You don't have new IDs made as often as we do and not know how. They can run that card any which way they choose and it will always kick back as being real. As long as you remember the new year of birth and that last name, you'll never have a problem. Speaking of problems... may I borrow your phone, please?"

Cocking a brow after I merged back onto the interstate, I grabbed my phone and held it out to him. "Don't you have one?"

He plucked the phone I have had for years from my hand and, to my absolute horror, _crushed_ it in his hand before throwing the pieces out the window with a 'sure do'.

I might have actually whined. "Why would you do that?"

He just brushed his hands together before rolling up the window. "So it can't be tracked." He looked at me and his brow rose. "You don't still think this is because of the mutts, do you?"

I felt my body shudder. "It's not?"

He shook his head. "You have much bigger problems than a pack of pups." When I whimpered, he pointed out the window. "Take this exit. I think it's best if you let me drive for now."

I just nodded and did as he said. I needed to get gas anyway, so I found a station to pull into. Stopping at a pump, I just sat there for a long enough time for him to grab my wallet and get out of the car. Flicking my eyes to the rearview, I watched as Leon walked to the door and vanish inside. He was in there for a good ten minutes before he came back out with a bag in his hand. When he got to the car, he came to my door, opened it, then held the offering out to me.

When I looked up at him, he gave me a half smile. "Out."

I sat there for another moment before I climbed out of the driver's seat, took the bag that was held out to me, and walked around the car to the passenger side as he went to pump the gas. While he was doing that, I took my new place and looked at what he got me, blinking at seeing a lot of my favorite snakes. Leaning forward, I called out the still open driver's door. "How did you know what I like?"

He leaned to the side to look at me. "I called Peter."

Jolting, I blinked again. "How the hell does he know?"

He grinned at the question. "You're going to quickly find out there is very little he doesn't know."

Dropped against the seat, I looked back at the bag of goodies. "That's... disturbing."

I heard him grunt, so I turned to see him shake his head. "It's fucking annoying, is what it is. However, that brain of his does have its uses. It has saved my life a time or two, and it's what's going to save yours."

I didn't say anything else until after the bang that indicated a full tank sounded, he was back in the car, and had adjusted the seat to accommodate his much taller build. After he pulled out of the station, I shifted my position in my seat to look at him, swallowing my fear of his answer. "What... um... you said bigger problems than the pack..."

He nodded as he switched gears and turned to get back on the highway. "Mmhmm. You did know it was only a matter of time before your past came back and bit you in the ass, right?"

Scratching the back of my head, I shrugged. "It had been so long, plus I haven't seen any of your kind besides you since the night Jasper came back to give me that phone. I guess I just... never really thought about it."

He let out a harsh breath and shook his head. "Well, that's one rumor I would have rather not been true. But, since it is, let's move on to the problem you have. It's my understanding of what I was told that you are being hunted, but not just by those dogs. Think... who did you piss off?"

I didn't have to think. I knew who it was the moment Leon said something about my past. So, I took the time to tell him about the baseball game, the hunt, the game, and the way it ended. Then, I gave him the rundown of why the Cullens were no longer around when he asked. He sat silently as I did so, his face turning to pure confusion when I was done.

He turned to look at me, and didn't look like he believed me. "None of that makes any sense. I knew James, and he was enough of an asshole to turn the life of a human into a game, so I'll buy that. It's the rest that doesn't sound right. How could any of them not know he and Victoria were mates? How could the Major allow a female that just lost her mate to live? You didn't actually kill James, so why is Victoria after you? How the hell could someone like Jasper be able to be stopped from feeding? How could the mind reader just... leave if he made those kinds of claims? How could the elder allow them to vacate the area without stopping your heart first? Something... else is going on here." After a moment, he shook his head. "Wow... and I thought newborn vampires knew how to get their asses in a jam. That is... some kind of fucked up."

I just snorted as I crossed my arms. "Try being the reason for it all."

His nose wrinkled. "No." He shook his head again while shifting in his seat. "Well, let me know when you get hungry for actual food or need to take a piss. We have a 12 hour drive ahead of us, and I'm not stopping for anything but your actual needs and gas."

My lip curled in the corner. "It's almost a 17 hour drive from here to Vegas."

He snorted. "You're adorable."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 PPOV**

Placing my hat on my head as I stepped out of my jet, I stood at the top of the steps for a moment, a grin pulling at my lips at the sight of an old friend standing at the bottom with an open umbrella. A chuckle in my throat, I bounded down the steps before handing off my bag. "Randell... how the hell are ya?"

He held the umbrella over my head as he escorted me to my truck that waited to take me to meet my girl. He had a smirk on his own lips as he answered. "Can't complain, though you could have picked a dryer day, don'tcha think? I mean... it rains like a week a year here total."

I snorted as I opened the door and he stashed my bag in the backseat. "You ain't sugar, and it won't last long. Speakin' of sugar; my girl there yet?"

He nodded before he closed the door. "She and Leon got to the strip about two hours ago. He said he was going to take her shopping before heading out to the ranch."

Climbing into my seat, I nodded. "That'll do."

I shut the door as he made his way around to the other side of the truck. Pulling out my phone, I called Leon. He didn't even let me say anything before he spoke.

" _She's fine, if not a little weird about spending that money."_

I snorted as I started the car and shifted it into drive. "She gonna have ta get used ta that shit. Where ya at?"

There was a moment's pause before he came back through the line. " _The Bellagio."_

Humming my understanding, I nodded. "I just landed and will be at the ranch in about twenty minutes or so. Y'all been there yet?"

" _No, Sir. Bella said something about wearing the same clothes for two days and having nothing clean to change into after a shower, so she wanted to stop first. I don't think she believed me when I said this was an expensive city."_

I snorted as I pulled out of the small air strip my jet was housed at, then headed for home. "Ya took her ta the Bellagio. Course that shit gonna be expensive."

I heard him chuckle in response to the disgruntled sound of a very irritated sounding lady in the background. " _I didn't take her anywhere. She's the one that said to stop at the closest place to where we were going. I only did as I was asked. And, I have to say, if she's this pissed off about jeans costing a hundred bucks, can't wait to see her reaction to where she's going to be staying for the next two weeks."_

I grinned. "You just let me worry 'bout that, yeah?"

" _Gladly. Do you want us to meet you at the ranch, or are you going to meet us here?"_

"I'll meetcha at the ranch. Gotta make sure it's still standin'."

" _You got it. We'll be there in about an hour."_

Hanging up the phone before dropping it in the cup holder, I shifted my weight slightly, then laid on the gas as I glanced at Randell from the corner of my eye. "We waitin' on anyone?"

I saw him tilt his head, but he nodded after a moment. "Yeah, a couple. Garrett, Richard, and Lillian are running a couple hours late."

Shaking my head, I snorted. "I don't rightly give a fuck if Dick and his girl show up at all. They gonna piss me off if they do, I know it. Garrett doin' somethin' for me, so he'll be 'round 'fore long." Pulling off to the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, I shifted my truck into park and opened the door. Climbing out, I looked back into the truck. "I'ma run the last a the way. Leon ain't ever been to the house out here, only the roundabout location, so he don't know right where the drive is. They in a little black coupe. Wait for 'em, and show 'em the way."

Once I got a nod in understanding, I shut the door and took off across the sand. It was only a couple of miles from where I pulled off to my house in the desert, so it didn't take but a few minutes before I jumped the wall to land in my backyard. I wasn't surprised to find no one outside, but there was a gut feeling I was going to get very angry when I went inside. So, I took my time following the voices, making a pitstop in the kitchen for a beer before I continued my way through the house.

When you get a bunch of nomads in one place, personalities clash and tempers flare, but they don't normally cause any damage. However, when you have two nomads in an enclosed place, plus they already have problems with each other, 'normally' doesn't apply. Add in a familiar tie, and shit is gonna get fucked up. Blake and Drake are twins who never really worked out their human issues that led them to be changed. Blake got into a fight with the wrong guy, who Drake knew, and that guy turned them both. Honestly, I could understand Blake's anger at his brother, but could also see things from Drake's perspective. Blake blamed his brother for bringing Dillon around, while Drake blamed Blake for pissing Dillon off. It was fucked, but they were stand up guys as far as younger vampires went.

Leaning a shoulder on the wall behind the group of vampires who were yelling at them to knock it off before I showed up, I simply brought my beer to my lips, taking a pull from the bottle as the two continued to ignore the warnings, and continue to snarl and snap at the other. Eventually, they would have at each other and settle their differences, it just wouldn't be in my fucking house.

I watched the pissing contest until Drake kicked Blake in the chest and sent in through a window. Before anyone was able to stop them, Drake was tackled through a wall. That's when I stepped in. Snatching both those boys up by the hair on the backs of their heads, I smashed their faces together -the sound of cracking stone silencing the entire house- before throwing them in opposite directions with a 'knock it the fuck off'.

When they landed and looked at me, I shifted my eyes from one to the other, a growl in my throat. "Y'all two better work this shit out while ya fix whatcha broke and clean up the mess. My human on her way, and I ain't gonna stand for this shit when she get here. She gets so much as a fuckin' splinter, and I'll kill ya both."

Turning to the mass of bodies that were looking at me, I narrowed my eyes. "Keep your noses to yaselves. She gonna be half cocked around so many a us as it is. There ain't no need ta make it worse."

Eventually, I was sure it wouldn't come down to threats when a human was involved, but that day was not today, and it always worked. Once it was out there, things settled. A few of the other guys took up helping the twins fix the wall and window while everyone else scattered about the house, most of them gathering on the second floor where I had a game room setup with pool, darts, and a bar. Someone turned on a football game, but it was muted in lieu of having music blaring through the surround sound.

Of all my houses, this one was probably my favorite. The second floor was something of a masterpiece of design. It was a loft style with a wooden railing that extended from one side to the other, overlooking the Great Room and front door. At the back, there was a wide hall, with the doors to the only three rooms on the second floor; the only bedroom in the house, a storage room, and an office. The first floor boasted the Great Room, a dining room, the kitchen, and a second bathroom. The kitchen, however, might need an overhaul because it wasn't set up with ever having a human in mind. With no need for a range, oven, dishwasher, or any of that, the only appliance it had was a refrigerator, and that was full of nothing but alcohol. Still, I might be able to avoid that since there was a BBQ in the back yard. It wasn't used to cook food, but that didn't mean it couldn't be.

The house was built for my ex-wife after we divorced. It was civil enough, I suppose. It was always more a marriage of convenience, so I wasn't all that surprised when she told me she wanted out. I also wasn't surprised when she told me why. There was a short conversation where I told her to pick whatever place she wanted and she could have it, but she didn't want anything that was already built. She wanted something new, something just hers. I consented to building her a new place, she just had to figure out what and where she wanted it.

She wanted something close to Vegas for like, a playhouse of sorts I guess, which was why it had fully functional bathrooms, but she just had to go get herself in trouble with the wrong crowd. Char was stunning, even by vampire standards, but I don't think there was ever a brain between her ears. The damn bimbo didn't listen for shit on a good day, and tended to push buttons that were better off not pushed. If you do that enough times with the wrong people, it'll land you in an urn faster than you can say howdy fucking doody. She was so used to her looks getting her everything she wanted, she didn't take the time to consider that if a man wasn't attracted to females, they didn't mean anything.

When she died, I took the house back instead of destroying it because I really did like the place. I almost didn't hand over the keys when I was done, thinking I could just buy her place off the strip, but ended up handing it over because I didn't want to deal with a remodel right after I got done building the damn thing. However, it didn't take a lot of work to get it closer to my tastes; just some paint, different furniture, plus new fixtures and accents. I myself spent a decent amount of time in Sin City, though I had always just stayed in one of the hotels. Now, I stay here... because why not. After the reconfiguring of the rooms, as well as getting rid of Char's shit, it was a perfect little get away literally in the middle of nowhere.

Even over the music I heard my truck and the sound of a second car engine outside the front door, pulling my attention from the game of pool I was mindlessly playing and back out of the recesses of my mind. Turning my head, I looked out the large bay of windows that spanned the front of the house, grinning. She was finally here, and shit was about to get interesting.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 BPOV**

While the rock in my stomach over the amount of money I just spent had ebbed, it came back full force when Leon told me to pull over behind a truck that was sitting idle on the side of the road. Since I was driving, I almost didn't, but I wasn't sure where I was anymore. When we left the clothing store, when asked, I was told we were going to meet up with this Peter guy that had set everything up. It was more curiosity than it was anything else, I guess.

I stayed in the car while Leon got out and jogged up to the passenger window, talking to the one in the driver's seat for a couple of minutes before coming back. When he got back in the car, he told me that wasn't him, but I needed to follow the truck because this car wouldn't be able to get to the house without using the actual driveway. We had been driving on a sand road for the last fifteen minutes, but though I wanted to point that out, I didn't. Instead, I did as ordered and followed the truck.

We were literally in the middle of nowhere when I saw were we were going, and my stomach clinched. This was like... where people went to die. It was a nondescript colored house with nothing around it for miles. The house itself was surrounded by a wall that was at least ten feet tall, with only one way in or out that I could tell.

Passing through the gate, though, was like entering a different world. It wasn't green and lush, but there were desert plants, rock gardens, and once you were within the wall, it was a paved drive. The style of the house itself was a lot like what I was used to from Arizona, the plaster and clay looking exterior only broken by a bank of windows below the roof line and two bay windows closer to the ground. There wasn't so much a porch, but there was a covered stone stoop with four steps leading up to a double door entry. It was a gorgeous house. Too bad it loomed with the reason I was here. Kinda took away from the beauty of it.

Stopping the car, I sat there for a moment, hands still on the wheel, wondering if there was still time to change my mind, turn around, and leave. Leon, though, took that answer upon himself, shutting off the engine before taking the keys. Glaring at him slightly from the corner of my eye, I gave a face when he winked at me, then snatched the keys back when he held them out to me. "Thanks."

He chuckled as he opened his door, glancing at me before he got out. "You need to relax. You are literally the safest person here."

I felt my eyes crinkle in the corners as I clambered out of the car, trying to cut him off at the pass. Getting in from of him by the hood of the car, I held my hands up, so he crossed his arms, waiting for me to tell him what I wanted. Clearing my throat, I did just that. "What do you mean? I'm a human in a house of vampires. How am I safe here?"

He bent at the waist, his red eyes locking on mine as a smirk pulled across his lips, a chuckle rumbling in his throat. "Because the only way to get to you, is through him."

There was something in Leon's eyes as he stood back to his full height and sidestepped me to head into the house. Without thought, I called after him as I whipped around. "What does that mean?"

He didn't stop as he answered. "Not my place to answer that."

It wasn't really the answer that got under my skin, but at the same time, it was. I was so over vampires and their refusal to actually answer a question, that as I followed after him, I yelled at his back. "What is it with you creatures and your inability to just answer a fucking question?"

That got his attention, but it wasn't in a good way. He froze with his hands on the doorknobs, slowly turning his head to look over his shoulder at me, and there was a darkness in his eyes. "Creatures? We're creatures now?"

As stupid as it might have been, I stood my ground. "You're not human. You're works of fiction... myths, legends. Yeah, you're creatures, but that's not the point. The point is, not a single of you will just answer a question, always saying it isn't your place or you don't know or changing the subject and avoiding it altogether. Aren't you supposed to be smart?"

I've been growled at before, but never quite like that. Even though I didn't want to, I was going to apologize. Before I could, the driver of the truck stepped up next to me. From the corner of my eye I saw him point to the house. "Inside, Leon, before you do something you know you won't live to regret."

And he was gone, his voice trailing back about irritating humans, which didn't do a whole lot to make me take back the 'creatures' comment. Looking up at the man next to me, I saw his attention focused on the higher windows. I wasn't sure what to say, but he didn't give me a chance to think of something, either.

He looked back at me with a grin. "Might I suggest not testing the depths of vampiric patience right off the bat? There are 20 here, and a few more on the way. It might be wise to keep the name calling to a very bare minimum."

I nodded with a gulp. "Right. I'm not sorry, though."

His grin widened. "Good. You'll need that fire to deal with Whitlock. He's a cock on a good day, and something there is no word for on a bad one." Then, he chuckled as he walked backwards toward the door, signaling me to follow. "Still, I wouldn't call him a creature if you can help it."

Scratching the back of my head, I looked at the ground as I followed him inside. I didn't look up until I heard the smooth, deep baritone colored in a southern twang from the phone call the day before. "The little lady can call me whatever the fuck she want."

I looked up to where the voice came from and blinked. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't him. He was dressed in a plain white t-shirt, jeans, and a very well loved black cowboy hat. He was older when he was turned, I would say mid to late twenties. I was so used to seeing younger looking vampires, late teens, maybe twenty three at best. Carlisle was thirty, but he didn't look anything like the man above me with his strong features and defined muscle tones.

If the change was supposed to enhance the body at the time the venom was injected, it showed just how different wherever this man came from was than where the vampires I was used to did.

When he turned his bright red eyes on me, there was a playful looking smirk on his face as he set his hands on the wooden railing with his pool cue held in the webbing of his thumb. His voice was also light, but I wasn't sure if he was trying to put me at ease, or if he was really just as laid back as he looked. "You ain't gonna call me nothin' worse than I been called before, are ya, Little Sugar?"

I shrugged with a waver in my voice. "I... uh... heh... I don't know."

His face didn't change as he chuckled, his head tilting slightly to the side and toward the stairs along the wall. "Well, come on now. We gotta have a conversation, don't we?" As I turned to the steps, he looked back at the vampire I came in with. "Get her shit, put it in the bedroom, and make sure the twins don't fuck up anymore a my house."

I looked over the railing, but he was already gone, so I wrapped my arms around my stomach as I finished the ascent to the second floor. When I got to the landing, I swallowed hard that the sight of so many sets of red eyes looking at me. I had never been around so many vampires that wouldn't think twice about eating me, so it was a little off putting.

Clearing my throat, I returned my eyes to who I found out was Peter, but just wanted to make sure. Licking my lips, I swallowed hard again. "So... you're him?"

His grin was back in place as he reached up with his empty hand to tip the brim of his hat. "Peter Whitlock, atcha service, Little Sugar." He handed the cue off and leaned a hip on the safety rail. "My apologies, Darlin', for the way you was brought here, but there weren't a lotta choices in the matter. I wasn't here, and you needed away from there."

I just nodded. "It wasn't... bad."

He pointed a finger at me. "But you was uncomfortable, wasn't ya?"

There wasn't really any denying that. "At times, yeah. But.. I mean... circumstances being what they were and all." It was then I held out the keys to the Mustang. "Here's the keys to your car."

His nose wrinkled and what sounded like a gag came from his throat. "Eww. That ain't mine. That truck out there mine." Using the same finger he used to point at me, he then used to push my hand away from him. "And, accordin' ta the papers, that coupe is yours. 'Sides that, didn't ya give that... antique a yours ta Grant?"

Now it was my turn to feel nauseous, only mine was real. I had actually handed the keys of my truck over to the vampire at the garage, and I have no idea what he did with it. I also didn't want to know what he did with it. Still, I shook my head hard and tried again to give him the keys. "That's a 60,000 dollar car. I can't pay that back."

He pushed himself to stand and, again, pushed my hand away like they keys to that car were offensive. "Hundred and seventeen, and I didn't ask ya to, did I? You gonna need somethin' ta get around while we here, and you ain't drivin' my truck." He then held out a hand toward the back of the floor, a glint in his eyes. "Ya can thank me later. For now, we got more important shit ta deal with."

I was positive my jaw was on the ground after he exposed how much it was to modify that car, and I was also positive he heard my heart skip a beat at it as well. I knew it was expensive. The guy I talked to at the garage alluded to as much, but over a hundred grand? That was excessive. I already knew I didn't want the car, but that pretty much sealed the deal that I would never touch it again. I could walk the twenty miles to civilization. Might take me all day, but I could do it.

"I don't even fuckin' think so."

My eyes snapped back to Peter's, who _now_ looked offended. Still, he just waved me through the area, so I headed in the direction he told me to go. He stayed a few steps behind me, and set a hand on my shoulder when I got to the door that was on the left side of the hall. I waited as he opened the door and paused a few steps in when I heard his voice again. He wasn't looking at me, instead addressing the others that were still in the gaming area.

"Garrett gonna be here soon and he got someone with 'im. He my guest and I wanna see 'im soon as he gets here."

I don't know what happened, but I assume everyone nodded at him, because he stepped into what I discovered was an office before closing the door behind him. Apparently, he was really good at soundproofing, because as soon as the door was closed, I couldn't hear the music like I should have been able to. I was sure he could hear it just fine, but his hearing was better, so that pretty much went without saying.

He walked past me and crooked a finger, telling me to follow, so I did. Why? I don't know. I should have been making things a little more difficult for him, but honestly, what was there to gain by that?

I took a seat in one of the empty chairs. He hopped up and just sat on the desk, holding his weight with his forearms on his thighs. He used a thumb to push his hat back, then laced his fingers together as he looked at me. It was slightly unnerving, not having the greatest experience with red eyed vampires, but since I was in a house full of them, I was pretty much stuck dealing with the off putting color.

Great.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 PPOV**

This little human was gonna cause me some trouble, and I didn't need my gift to tell me that. I hadn't seen her since she was a little tyke, so I was slightly taken aback when she walked inside. I wasn't sure what I was expecting to walk through my front door, but that tiny little thing certainly wasn't it. I had something of a philosophy about females, and it had yet to be proved wrong. The smaller the lady, the bigger the pain in the ass, and this little lady didn't even come up to the top of my shoulder. She was gonna be trouble, but what she would learn before long is there wasn't a better player than I was.

Looking at her now, she looked... meek, if I had to name it. I could certainly understand it. She was tossed into a situation she had no understanding of, which generally pissed off anyone it happened to. So far, she had gone with it, which was great, but she was going to have keep doing it.

I watched her lick her lips, but I wasn't ready for the question she was about to ask. "So, um..."

I cut her off. "We ain't got a lotta time for you to be second guessin' now, Sugar." She snapped her jaw shut, so I continued. "There some shit in the works, and I wasn't quite ready for ya when ya called, but I can make it work. I'm gonna keep' ya safe, so you ain't gotta worry 'bout that, but you gonna have to trust that I know what I'm doing, even when it don't seem like it."

She bit that bottom lip of hers, her eyes darting off to the side for a moment before she cut them back to me. She decided to he honest, which was a good place to start. "I'm not sure I trust you, to be honest. When Jasper said there was a friend on the other side of the phone he gave me, I wasn't exactly expecting to come face to face with red eyes if I ever used it. I don't have the greatest experience with human eating vampires, but you probably already know that."

I grinned at her with a chuckle. "Yeah, I know it. As for Jasper... Jasper ain't a friend. Jasper my sire, but he ain't a friend. I ain't got nothin' against him no more, but I got friends, and he ain't on that list. Mostly cause a the eyes."

She clicked her tongue when she worked it out. "He doesn't approve of your eating habits anymore, does he?"

I just shrugged. "I don't rightly give a fuck what he approve of, but no. He done and gone got himself all fucked in the head, and that's a problem for me. I got enough issues without him addin' to 'em."

She just nodded. "Okay, so, can I ask you something?" I nodded, then she licked her lips and let out a breath. "What happens now? Like..."

She trailed off; I cocked my head. I knew what she was trying to ask, but I wasn't sure she was ready actually hear the answer. Humming in my throat, I leaned back and propped myself up with my hands behind me. "There are two answers ta that, and I'm only gonna give ya one right now. You'll figure out the other when the time comes. It ain't really somethin' I can tell ya, more something ya gotta figure out on ya own. Deal?" Though she looked begrudged to do it, she nodded, then I gave her the answer I promised. "We gonna hang out here for the next couple weeks while the last a the pieces are placed, then we gonna end this shit with that bitch that wants ya dead. You free ta do whatcha want, but there gonna be times I tell ya ta do something, and I'ma need ya ta do it. I don't wanna force ya or nothin', but if ya wanna keep that heartbeat of yours, you'll listen, or you gonna get hurt to the point I ain't gonna be able ta fix it."

I knew the moment it dawned on her what I meant by 'fix', and she shook her head. "I don't wanna be changed."

Letting out a sigh, curling my tongue behind my teeth as I looked at her. She wasn't going to like this part, but at least I wouldn't have to be the one to tell her. There was a knock on the door and I hopped off my desk, strolling past her toward it. I didn't say anything about her admission, and she didn't miss it. Opening the door, I stepped to the side when I saw who it was. Bella squeaked at the site of the dark clothing. I glanced at my watch as he slipped past me and shook my head. "You late, Boy."

He just shrugged as he looked away from Bella to me. "Talk to that nomad friend of yours. It's like he's never driven a car before, and wouldn't just let me when I race them for pure entertainment value."

Rolling my eyes, I looked over at Bella, who was trying to make herself as small as possible. "Little Sugar, this is Demetri, and he here to help save your life."

Demetri returned his attention to her while crossing his arms. "Seems you're right again, Captain. It's always the small ones that cause the biggest problems." He then addressed her when I snorted. "Calm down, Stella. You have nothing to fear from me. I own the Captain here a favor, and he called it in on your behalf. I can't grant you a Stay of Execution, but I can ensure you never come face to face with my boss."

She looked back and forth between the two of us, her skin going pale. "You're a Volturi."

It wasn't a question, and that wasn't lost on Demetri. "You know of us."

That was also not a question. Oh, Major... just how deep down the rabbit hole did you let my lady fall?

She nodded, her arms wrapping around herself as she slouched in her chair. "Edward told me about you, or Aro, rather."

Demetri's head slowly tilted to the side, a slow smirk pulling at his lips. "Did he, now? Well, I assure you everything you were told was true, if not massively diluted. You know who told us about you?"

She gulped. "I have a guess. How long have you known about me?"

That smirk on Demetri's lips turned sinister. "Oh, long time, Stella. We have spies everywhere, but all you need to know currently is a coven of three told us. We told them to kill you, but from what I understand, they were the ones that ended up dead; or at least the coven leader. After that, Carlisle called Aro, thinking he was giving him news or something, but really only confirmation to his idiocy. Every few months after that someone from the guard was sent to keep an eye on the situation, make sure you were either still with the coven or dead. You wouldn't believe the fit Master Aro threw when he found out the Cullen Coven left their den and you were still there. It was actually quite funny, if I'm honest."

He glanced at me, so I shrugged. She was gonna find out anyway. So, with my consent, went ahead and finished what he was going to say. "He was barking orders to bring him your head when the Captain showed up saying he would have to go through him to do so. There are very few vampires that shouldn't be crossed, and Captain Whitlock tops that list. The Major used to, but, well... you've seen how far he fell."

She shifted her position and shook her head. "I didn't really know Jasper. He usually stayed away from me for safety reasons. Didn't want to bite me or whatever."

If I had to describe the look that settled on Demetri's face, I would have to call it disgust. "Case in point. Once upon a time, Jasper Whitlock was the most dangerous vampire on the planet. Now he, like the rest of that abysmal coven, can barely be called vampires. It's sad really, if you knew the stories. He was one of the greats, on par with actual legends of us, since he was the inspiration for a good deal of them."

Her eyes lowered for a moment as she scratched the back of her head. "What's going to happen to me since your boss knows?" She then flicked her eyes up and at Demetri. "I already told Peter I don't want to be changed."

He tapped a finger against his arm, clicking his tongue. After a moment of thought on how to word it, he just threw it out there. "That's no longer your choice. It stopped being your decision the moment you took up with Cullens. The only choice you have now is how long until it happens. I'll keep you out from in front of Aro for as long as the Captain needs me to, but if your heart's still beating should you ever cross my Master's path, that's it." He then made sure she understood this next part. "Both you and the Captain here will wish for death long before he'll grant it, if he ever does."

I rolled my eyes. "Jesus, Demetri. And people call me an asshole. Tell the lady the truth, Fucker."

He looked at me with shock on his face. "I am. You took responsibility for her, but you have to know it's not open ended. She will eventually need to die... one way or another. I can keep Aro off your tail for years to come, but I'm not his only tracker. I'm certainly the best, but he always has a backup, as well as a backup for the backup. You will be found eventually. She needs to understand when that happens, all bets are off, all rulings are final, all orders will be carried out."

A smirk pulled at my lips when Bella shot out of her seat, every ounce of unease she had gone as anger took over. "But... that's not fair. How can you bind a human to your rules when the only way we can break them is if a vampire breaks them first?"

Demetri shrugged. "It all amounts to the same thing, really. _You_ bound yourself to our laws when you decided to involve yourself in our world."

She narrowed her eyes, a little more heat entering her voice. "But I haven't broken the rule, because I haven't told anyone. So, if humans are held to the same standards, they should also be given the same consideration if they follow a rule an actual vampire already broke. Believe it or not, we can't find out on our own. We can have suspicions, but they have to be verified, or it's a hearsay rumor.

A brow slowly and smoothly slid up Demetri's forehead. "I agree, which is why came at all. Truth be told, I care if you live or die. You mean nothing to me personally, but you mean enough to the Captain for him to risk his life to save yours. He made a lot of promises on your behalf, and they will need to be fulfilled." He didn't miss the way her face flushed, though he continued before she could explode. "You would long be dead by now if he hadn't done what he had and taken on full responsibility for you. Aro doesn't want another debatical like with the Cullens and those nomads. If he sees you, and you're still human, game over..." he then looked at me, "for both of you." He then returned his eyes to Bella. "He no longer wants you just under the thumb of a vampire. He wants you changed, or dead. Those are now your only options."

He wasn't telling me anything I didn't already know, which was why he was here. All I needed was a couple of weeks, and this entire conversation would be a moot one. I made those promises nearly a year ago. Aro was now running out of patience.

Bella deflated, her shoulder dropping as she leaned back against my desk. "What about those vampires that verified my suspicions? Why aren't they being forced to live under someone else to make sure they keep their mouths shut when they already proved they can't?"

Demetri uncrossed his arms and clasped his hands behind his back. I kept my eyes on her reaction, because this could get ugly. "You have no need to concern yourself with the Cullen Coven. They will be dealt with in the same manner all exposure risks are."

She sucked in a breath and her eyes went wide. "You're going to kill them."

Lifting one shoulder, Demetri made a dismissive noise in the back of his throat. "They knew what would happen when they allowed you to live." His phone rang then, so he reached into his inner jacket pocket. Glancing at the screen when he pulled it out, he hummed. "I have to take this." Looking back at Bella, he locked his eyes on hers. "Do with this what you will, Stella. _You_ are the exposure risk. So long as your heart beats, their necks are on the line. Which is more important to you? Your beating heart? Or seven other lives?"

When he turned to leave the room, I told him he could take his call in my bedroom if he needed quiet. Once he nodded and left, I closed the door, turning my attention to the white as a ghost human across the room. Crossing my arms, I leaned back against the door, propping a foot behind me and clicking my tongue. "Any questions?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 BPOV**

I couldn't believe this was happening. It had been nearly two years since the whole coven left, and _now_ is when that was gonna come back and bite me in the ass like this? I knew Victoria was still an issue, but I didn't know the rest of that. Not sure I wanted to know the rest of that.

It was when Peter asked if I had any questions that my eyes snapped up from the floor to look at him. I took another moment before I tried to talk through my tight throat, but I got the words out as I nodded. "Why are you offering me all of this?"

A small smile finally came to his lips, and his own voice softened. "That's the answer to ya previous question I told ya you would need to come to on ya own, but I'll tell ya this... I don't think you ready ta die. Didn't think it then, still don't think so now."

Crossing my arms and dropping my eyes again, they spotted a light stain on the rug. I wasn't sure what to say here, so I started with the first thing that came to mind. "I don't want to die. I don't deserve to." I looked back up at him, but his head was tilted to the side. "I didn't do anything wrong, Peter, they did."

He nodded slowly as he pushed himself up from his leaning position and made his way back across the space. "I know it. They know it, too. So does Aro, which is why he let me step in the way I did."

I looked at him as he took a seat where I had been sitting. "But why? You don't know me... or at least I don't know you."

It was like a flip was switched. He grinned at me again, just like he had before we came in his office. "Sure ya do. You was just a wee little thing then, though; maybe four. You wandered away from ya mama and got yaself lost. I found ya hiding under some bushes, cryin' somethin' awful. You was so worked up, ya couldn't remember where ya came from, or where you was even tryin' ta go for that matter. Gotcha calmed down, and gotcha home. We sat on the steps waitin' for ya mama to get back, cause she was out lookin' for ya."

A felt a frown pull at the corner of my lips as I thought back, then I blinked when the memory surfaced. "I remember that." Looking back at him, a huffed snort came out. "I made you play jacks with me."

He nodded as he leaned back in his chair. "I knew then I was gonna be seein' ya again, and I knew it was gonna be for some fucked up reason. Didn't know it was gonna be because my kind, though. If I had, I prolly woulda kept an eye on ya to stop this shit before it started. You was a doll, more afraid of whatcha mama was gonna do than anythin' else."

I bit the corner of my lip as I thought about that, cocking my head when I spoke again. "So, you're putting your life on the line because of an hour spent playing jacks that happened over fifteen years ago?"

He slowly shook his head, his own eyes seeming to go distant, his voice changing. "Naw, Darlin'. It ain't cause a the game. It's cause a you. You was the first person in over a hundred and twenty years that looked at me without fear. You was scared, and you came right to me. Sixteen years later, you all grown up, scared, and again, came right to me." He chuckled as a smirk pulled at his lips. "Slightly different set a circumstances, though."

I snorted. He could say that again. Still, I scratched my arm, unable to help being a smartass to try and lighten the mood a little bit. "Wanna go sit outside and play jacks while we wait for whoever wants me dead to show up?"

There was a deep, rumbling chuckle in his throat as he stood up. Peter then took a step to the side so he was standing right in front of me, setting his hand on the top of his desk, and trapping me between his arms. He was so close I could feel the coolness of his skin and smell his scent. It was a combination of sawdust and tobacco. It was certainly the scent of a man, and it made my head swim slightly.

He bent at the waist so he was eye level with me, a glint in his ruby orbs that made my heart stutter. I saw his smirk widen and his tongue glide across his teeth. "The only way to you is through me, Little Sugar. You was young, so you don't remember... but I do. I promised ya I wouldn't let anythin' happen to ya, and I always keep my promises. This time shit slightly more complicated than ya gettin' lost after dark, but on my life I'ma get ya through this with your heartbeat intact. I swear it."

With a sigh, I turned away, looking off to the side. After a moment, I shook my head. "What's the point? Demetri said..."

I was cut off by the feel of his icy skin against mine. I hadn't felt vampire flesh since Edward left, so it kinda startled me when his crooked a finger under my chin, silencing me as he turned my head back to look at him. There was a level of seriousness I have never seen before in eyes. Even though his voice was quiet, it held the same kind of emotion. "The point is you wanna keep it, and until you say otherwise, that's what's gonna happen. Yeah, Demetri is one hella tracker, but his ability don't work on me because my mind don't work the way a normal mind works. He can't do his little mind meld shit he do with others with me. He only know where we are 'cause I told 'im. We leave here, he ain't ever gonna find us if I don't let 'im. I told you, you safe here with me."

In his eyes, I could see the truth of his words, but I've been told that before when it wasn't true. So, with another sigh, I licked my lips. "I guess we'll see."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 PPOV**

Over the last week I learned there was a very angry, spiteful person under the mousy exterior of my Little Sugar. She and Leon were still at odds over her calling vampires creatures, but neither one was willing to back down. She had struck up something like a friendship with Mel, one of the little ankle bitter sized females that tended to flock for my group of friends. It didn't last long, though, and Bella had taken to making that woman's life hell with all the little pranks she pulled with the help of the twins.

And Lord help anyone that so much as mentioned Jasper. Almost every get-together I had involved him in some way, but this time, he knew to stay away. He was on her shit list, so that put him on mine, purely for solidarity reasons. I honestly had nothing against my maker, but who really wants their parents around when you're trying to fuck some shit up?

She had started to feel slightly closed in after so long either indoors or confined by the wall, so I took her to the Strip, gave her a handful of cash, then set her loose in a casino for a few hours. Turned out, gambling was not her forte, but she was clearly enjoying herself. Her losses were covered by my winnings, so it wasn't a huge thing. She did get lucky every so often, but they were always smaller pots.

When she ran out of money, she came and found me, I would give her some chips, then off she went again in the same direction she came from. I followed her to find out what the fuck she was playing. Turned out, she was trying to get the hang of Blackjack, literally the most impossible game to win besides craps. Her biggest issue wasn't the House, it was herself. She was taking hits when the number was too high, and ended up busting. Still, it was nice to know she didn't blow twenty thousand dollars on the slot machines, so there was that.

When she was tired of loosing my money -as she put it- and the sun had set, we walked the street, Bella stopping every so often to watch the performers, forcing me to throw something into their buckets when she ran out of what she had on her after the casino.

Everything up to that point was fine. It was what happened after she told me she was hungry that shit went to hell in a handbasket.

I took her to a bar because I wanted a drink; she ended up joining me in having one herself. It was pretty clear come the second round the girl had never been drunk before, and every last grievance she had came out. I sat there listening mostly, wanting to know exactly what I would be having to deal with on top of everything else, but there were times I would engage and push her to go into more detail. She never failed to do so.

Over an order of cheese sticks and Long Islands, she poured her heart out.

When she reached more recent events, she showed just how little she thought of the Cullens these days, and I couldn't say I blamed her. Her face was scrunched as her eyes narrowed on the table top.

She managed to keep her voice low, but it carried a bite to it. "This is so fucking stupid. It isn't like they ever did anything to deserve it, and they're the reason I'm even in this mess to begin with. Why do I have to die, in any capacity, just so they can all continue to live lives they don't even want? Ya know, had they just let the change happen when James bit me, none of this would even be happening. You haven't lived enough, Bella. You haven't had enough experiences, Love. You don't know what you'll be giving up." She dropped head back against her seat while continuing to glare at the table. "Fucking morons. Like, seriously..." she looked at me, "Alice can see the future and she just... let this shit happen."

I sat back in my chair, beer in hand, with an ankle resting on my knee as I listened to her. She had every right to be angry, and she had every right to decide how things were going to proceed. Since it sounded like she had, I brought the bottle to my lips before spoke into it. "So, ya ain't gonna be savin' 'em them?"

She crossed her arms, her brown eyes hard. "Why should I? They abandoned me. The one that came back only did so because of you. They didn't come back when they knew I was trouble, just to save their own asses. If they were perfectly happy to leave me to die, I don't see why I should I give them the satisfaction of both living _and_ getting what they want."

Swallowing my beer, I licked my lips and cocked my head. "What is it ya think they want?"

Her face leveled out, all emotion draining from her expression. "I know what they want. They want me gone but they don't want my blood on their perfect little hands. They're hoping I'll still be the unselfish little twit and do whatever I have to, to save them. Well, news flash... I'm not interested."

Scratching the underside of my chin, I hummed in the back of my throat. That last part caught my attention, and that was something she was gonna have to expand on a bit. "What is it you ain't interested in, Little Sugar? Changin'? Dyin'? Or either one a those havin' any bearin' on the way them Cullens is handled?"

She threw her hands up in the air, losing her soft spokenness for a moment. "None of it!" Clamping a hand over her mouth when she noticed she was being stared at, she gave a drunken smile to the room before she returned her attention to me. "None of this is fair. I didn't find out on my own, so why am I here facing the consequences on my own? Why is it if I let someone change me, or they just do it for kicks, or I end up dead, that they get off scot fucking free like it never even happened? Is Carlisle that good at sucking dick he can bring Aro to his knees or something?"

It's been a long time since I was caught off guard like that; I regretted taking a mouthful of beer the moment I did. I snorted so hard -and at the worst time- that beer shot out of my nose, causing me to actually choke on what hit the back of my throat. Covering my nose and mouth with the back of my hand, I thanked Bella through hacking coughs when she held out a napkin. Wiping my chin and blowing my nose clear, through a few more coughs, I chuckled. "I wouldn't know." Clearing my throat, I pinched my sinuses, snuffing hard to try and clear them.

She was just sitting there with her little doe brown eyes wide in shock, darting one way then the other because I can bet she hadn't ever seen something quite like that before. After a moment, she lightly cleared her throat to catch my attention. When I gave it to her, she gave me a small smile. "You okay?"

Blowing my nose clear one last time, I nodded. "I'm 'ight. I just... wasn't expectin' that."

Her lips pressed together while her eyes shined. "Sorry."

I just waved it off. "Don't be. Now, you got some decent points, Little Sugar, but that's just the way it works in this world. The human is always easier to deal with, and with them Cullens, it's more difficult than you'd think ta get shit to stick against 'em. On top a that, they got Jasper, and the stories are old are enough a deterrent to stop a lotta others from tryin' ta force 'em to follow the rules."

All amusement from a moment before was gone; she frowned as she looked at me. "So, they can just keep doing this? Keep showing themselves to humans, vanish into thin air, then leave someone else to face punishment for what they did? Just because of Jasper?"

I shook my head. "Not just because a Jasper, but he helps. There aren't many that know how to face off against him and his empathy, and even less that'll try."

Yet again, she took me off guard. Her face pinched and her eyes ignited. "They can't keep getting let off the hook, leaving someone that can't defend themselves behind to deal with whatever they make before that." Then she grunted. "I almost want to tell you to change me so I can kill them myself."

Crossing my arms, I leaned back in my own seat to look her dead in the eyes. "That can certainly be arranged, but it gonna take more than just changin' ta take out the Major. He mighta gone soft over the years, but a brand new baby still ain't gonna do shit against 'im. 'Sides, still don't think you ready for it."

Her head lowered, then she looked at me through her lashes. "Is anyone ever really ready for it?"

I actually took a moment to consider that question, but eventually shook my head. "Good point. You at a disadvantage 'cause you know. You know 'bout us, and you know it comin'. It woulda been easier for ya if ya never found out and it just happened like how that shit supposed ta go down. That ain't the way a it, though, so now ya gotta play the cards you was dealt. You just gotta realize you was given a winnin' hand."

She let out a hard sigh as she crossed her arms. "You didn't pay attention before, did you? I suck at card games."

I grinned at her. "Naw, Sugar. You just gotta learn to play 'em in the right order. It ain't always 'bout that high card. You can win with 2s."

She rolled her eyes. "I never win at cards."

Slowly, I sat up and leaned forward, lowering my voice while smirking. "I always do."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 BPOV**

Trying to figure out what Peter was playing at was turning into something of a convoluted puzzle. He told me from the start there would be times it would look like he didn't know what he was doing. I agreed when I first met Demetri, but I learned that was the least of the shit he was going to throw at me. He seemed to always do things the hard way, but as it turned out, that worked for him. He really was good at keeping people guessing what he was up to. When I asked him why he always took the long way, his answer was simple...

He wanted to keep people guessing.

It was almost like watching a James Bond movie, where the villain spills his master play just before Bond escapes and thwarts the boss, only I wouldn't call Peter James Bond. He was more like... Jack Sparrow, but with a little more finess. Just when you thought he didn't actually have a plan, everything fell into place, which left everyone around him baffled at how he did it. However, he could absolutely fly by the seat of his pants, and still come out on top.

Then... then there was watching him train. For a man made of stone, he was as fluid as water going over a fall. There were always things I couldn't see, but when he realized I was watching, he slowed down enough so I could follow. There wasn't really anything quite like watching him take someone to the ground with so little effort. I was starting to see what he meant before about not forgetting where he came from, letting his start in this life be an asset instead of something to be ashamed of.

I was also given the clearly abridged version of what he called his upbringing; I had to admit, I was intrigued. He didn't sugarcoat the kind of prick he was then, or the one he was to this day. He made it sound like anything but a character flaw, and actually credited it for still being alive. He also told me about how his gift worked, but didn't go into too much detail there either, because honestly, it was confusing as shit. I tried to make it make more sense by asking if it was his conscience, but he laughed... hard. It was the first time I ever heard him not chuckle, and I had to admit, I could get used to hearing it.

When he calmed down, he smiled, a _real_ smile, then shook his head, telling me he lost that long before he lost his soul. He told me about always having this sixth sense of situations, even as a human. After his change, it evolved into actual voices in his head. From what he could tell, there were three, but he learned over the years to only listen when they agree. I told him that made him sound insane. He shrugged while telling me no vampire was sane; there were just different levels of insanity. However, he didn't deny he was on the further end of the spectrum.

Also, to my great surprise, I wasn't excluded from anything. I kinda stayed in the background after I really pissed off Melany, but Peter wasn't having it. Not only did he make sure it was understood -in no uncertain terms- I was free to do as I pleased, he also informed me the house was as much mine as his. If I wanted to do something, I was allowed; no one could say shit about it.

There was only one thing I wasn't allowed to do, which was to leave the grounds by myself. I could go anywhere, and do anything, I just had to take someone with me. That was more because there were apparently a lot of people looking for me, and Peter just wanted to make sure I got back alive. I could understand that. I generally didn't go anywhere without him, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

If I wasn't watching Peter from the balcony off the bedroom, I was in the pool. We were in the middle of the desert, and it was hot. Mostly, I just cooled down for awhile before going back inside, but there were times when I was joined by others if I wasn't back inside after like a half hour. I enjoyed the amount of privacy I had, but I was also finding I actually enjoyed spending time with Peter or a few of his friends. I still wasn't comfortable being around everyone that was there at once, but they didn't force me to. It was a pretty big property, so even when everyone was outside, I wasn't crowded.

All in all, everything was going fine until Peter handed me a manilla envelope ten days after I arrived. I wasn't sure what it was, but there was a part of me that was leery about finding out. There were so many things I was afraid to find inside, it took me a couple of hours of sitting in the middle of Peter's bed, legs folded and chin in my palms, staring at the innocent package before I gained enough courage to see what it was. When I finally opened it to see the very top document, I found myself wishing I would have taken a little longer.

It was my death certificate with a news article paper clipped to it about a fatal accident. Guess I now know what Grant did with my truck. The next thing was a birth certificate and social security card with the name that matched the ID I've been using. There were school transcripts, bank statements, the registration to the mustang, all in this new name of mine.

I hadn't finished flipping through them before there was a knock on the door and Peter came in. He didn't say a word, just stretched himself along the foot of the bed with his temple propped against the heel of his hand as he watched. I made a comment about it being a pretty thorough identity. He made a noise in this throat, telling me it was pretty basic actually, and would have been a little more detailed if it wasn't done in such a rush.

Starting at the beginning of the stack of documents, I looked through them again, frowning with a shake of my head. "There isn't anything I can think of that's missing."

He grunted again. "Just cause it ain't missin' nothin' don't mean it couldn't be better. It'll pass all the tests it need to, and that's all ya can e'spect in less than two weeks. It's everythin' a twenty-two year old should have, but if ya wanna know what I'm talkin' about, I'll show ya one a mine sometime. You'll see what I mean by details."

Looking at him a moment longer, I just nodded and went back to looking through the documents. It was everything I was expecting to find, but it wasn't until I got to the end that I found something I didn't. Eyes snapping up to lock on Peter's, my jaw dropped. "Umm..."

It would seem he knew exactly what I was looking at. His smirk pulled at his lips; there was a chuckle in his throat as he tossed a little black box I hadn't seen in his hand to me, the thing landing within a comfortable arm's reach. I looked at it like it offended my dead grandmother as he spoke. "Believe it or not, it serves a purpose. You ain't gotta wear it often, mostly at the casinos while we here. That'll give you access ta my accounts so ya ain't gotta keep huntin' me down when ya bust, but when we head out in a couple days, that's when that comes inta play."

Staring at the black velvet box for a moment longer, I looked back up at him, blinking at the sight of a white gold band on his left hand he didn't have on earlier. Groaning, I picked up the box and just held it, biting into my lip before I let out a sigh. "If this is because you gave me your last name, can't we be like... relatives or something? Does it have to be this?"

He rolled his eyes as he rolled towards me, plucking the box from my loose grip, then opening it. He pulled out whatever was inside, reaching out once he dropped the box and grabbed my hand. As he slipped the two rings into place, he spoke. "We could, but then you gonna hafta answer uncomfortable questions 'bout sharin' rooms and all kinds a other shit, cause once we leave, you really ain't gonna be leavin' my sight much."

Taking my hand back, I looked at the plain, white gold band that matched his and the marquise cut diamond engagement ring. It was a simple set, and it was gorgeous. If I were to actually get married, it was pretty much exactly what I would have wanted. Still, I fought the smile at the sight of the rings as I tried to keep my voice level. "Your voices telling you something you should be telling me?"

He snorted as he settled himself back into a comfortable lounging position. "Naw, Little Sugar. It like this... those rings are the human equivalent to a claimin' bite for us. Unless you want me ta bite ya so you left alone, you gonna wanna wear them. They gonna have the same effect for both my kind and yours."

I clicked my tongue. "And this... not leaving your sight much thing?"

His smirk returned. "I'm just a possessive little bastard. Thought we went over that already."

We had, not twenty-four hours ago. He hadn't been hovering per-say, but he was hovering. It wasn't like when Edward would do it with everything with a penis, or like the wolves that were on par with stalker like hovering. He was there in the background mostly, keeping an eye on the eyes of those present. He got nasty about them not feeding properly, too. He had snapped at Drake, then after he left to 'get something to eat', I asked why he was so snappy about it since his eyes were still kind of red. He told me then about the very thin line he had between being protective and being possessive.

It was also then -and in no uncertain terms- he told me I was his, and I was free to take that however I wanted to... be it in a good way, or a bad one. His exact words when I told him otherwise were 'keep tellin' yaself that'. I stormed off, and he let me. I slammed the bedroom door, glaring at it for several hours before I actually let myself run through the past week and a half, then promptly let loose every single profane word I had ever heard when I realized he was right. We had fallen into such a comfortable routine that was, to my horror, his design and my willingness to just... listen. Like... I was pissed, but at that point, there was nothing I could do about it.

Thankfully, he didn't say a word about it when I emerged from his room, just asked if I was hungry because Drake picked up something for me while he was out. After that, though, I started to hear him call me his girl when he was on the phone or just shooting the shit with someone. He never called me that to my face, yet here we are, him putting a ring on it.

Looking down at my hand, I sighed. "Okay, but..."

I wasn't surprised he knew where I was taking that one, when he cut me off. "It's in name only, Little Sugar. Sure, it legally bindin' by human standards, but we ain't dealin' with, or livin' in, the human world. So far as the world we livin' in, it's just a piece a paper."

My jaw dropped and my eyes went wide as my hand slammed down on the marriage licence. "This is legal?" Blinking, I didn't even try to keep my voice down. "We're actually married?"

I was gonna kill him.

 **There are still three more chapters after this, and they will post in the morning once they've been beta'ed. Hope you're enjoying the ride so far!**

 **~Speklez**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 PPOV**

Now, this little lady was gonna have to learn to listen.

By the time the strike came, I was already off the bed and leaning on the footboard, looking at her with a flat expression. Hands propped against the frame, I cocked a brow. "You know better than that. All you gonna do is hurtcha self." Her glare didn't lessen. If anything, it darkened, causing me to smirk. "You listen good now, Little Sugar. That humanity ya clingin' to don't mean shit to no one but you. I said we ain't gonna be dealin' with the human world, and I meant it."

Waving a hand at the paperwork in front of her, I continued. "All that shit ain't nothin' but paper. It don't mean nothin'. It's necessary 'cause there ain't no way not to interact with humanity, but I ain't like the Cullens, now. I don't immerse myself in the human world. I literally only do as much as I gotta, and not a damn thing more than that. That said, every one of 'em are legal documents. They gonna kick back if looked at under a scope that they real, includin' that licence. This how shit gotta be. Go ahead and be pissed off 'bout it, but it ain't like you gettin' pissed off gonna change it."

Bella's face darkened as her eyes narrowed. "It's not that these are real. It's that you never told me there was going to be a _marriage licence_ involved. I don't want to be married."

There was a knock on the door before I could respond properly, so I settled on a 'tough shit', before I called out to whoever it was to come in. I cocked a brow at Demetri when he stepped inside. "Whatcha got for me?"

His glowing red eyes shifted from me to Bella, then back again, a gleam in them. "They are on the move."

Pursing my lips, I glanced down at my watch and, after a quick bit of math, I grunted. "Aro losin' his nerve, ain't he?"

His hands vanished behind his back as he spoke with an amused voice. "Were you him, would you come?"

I just grinned at the question. "Course I would, but I'm insane and like ta fight, so..." Then I turned my sights on the human, whose heart had kicked up at Aro's name. "Put everythin' back in the envelope and come ta my office when you settled. Told ya when you first got here I know what I'm doin', even when it don't seem like it. You gonna be just fine..." turning my head slightly, "ain't she, Demetri?"

From the corner of my eye I saw him nod. "So long as I'm alive, she will be, too."

I would have been happy to leave it at that, had Bella not decided to speak in that moment. "But... you're not alive."

I pinched the bridge of my nose as Demetri slowly turned his head to look at her, his face void of all emotion. His voice was just as flat, carrying an air even I couldn't name. "Well then, it would appear you're fucked, wouldn't it?"

I didn't even need to open my eyes to know what her face looked like. The hard suck of air through her teeth was enough for me to know she realized she stepped in it, but instead of letting her dig herself further into the hole she was digging with the wrong sumbitch, I clicked my tongue. "Little Sugar, you gonna wanna keep them kinda comments ta yaself."

I opened my eyes just in time to see her nod, then turned my attention to Demetri. "I'll be right behind ya."

He snorted in irritation, but left without another word as I looked back at Bella, who looked properly regretful. Crossing my arms, I leaned my shoulder on my bedpost. "Listen, Bella. You can say whatcha want to me and most a the people here, but when you dealin' with the one who literally holds your life in his hands, ya might wanna watch whatcha say. It's just gonna be you an' him for the next while, and if ya piss him off too much, he ain't one ta give a fuck 'bout snappin' ya neck."

She scratched the back of her neck, then cleared her throat. "I thought from that conversation before, you would be there, too."

I shook my head. "Nope. I'ma be here, killin' lots an' lots a youngins." Her eyes when wide, so I smirked. "Call it my specialty."

Her hand came up to cover her lips as they began to tremble. I could actually feel her nerves fray as her fear began to permeate the air. I scratched the tip of my nose before crooking that finger at her. I waited for her to climb off my bed and turned myself to face her as she stepped into my chest. Sure, we bickered, but we had ended up forging a pretty decent relationship since she's been under my protection.

I had tried to give her all the space she wanted while at the same time making her feel comfortable, but that was a rather tall order for as simple as it should have been. I didn't want her to feel crowded, but at the same time, I needed her to know I was there. It wasn't going to happen with words. It was something that was gonna have to be proven, and when she tucked her head under my chin, I actually had to smile to myself. Seemed to me I had accomplished that task.

Wrapping my arms around her shoulders, I rubbed her back and growled a deep thrum in my chest, then I heard her sigh. Her voice wavered slightly when she spoke, but she spoke low enough to hide it for the most part. "You have to promise me something."

Wrinkling my nose, I grunted. "I don't make promises."

I didn't need to see her face to know she rolled her eyes. "The fuck you don't." She changed her position so her chin was propped against my chest, looking up at me with her wet, brown doe eyes. "It was your promises that got us into this in the first place."

I pretended to think, but mostly to annoy her before I tisked while giving an exaggerated nod. "Ah, right." Looking down at her with a grin, I chucked at her snort. "I don't make promises I know I ain't gonna keep. I ain't gonna promise ya I'ma be careful. I ain't gonna promise ya I ain't gonna do nothin' stupid. I'll promise ya this, though." When she cocked a brow, I dipped my head so the tip of my nose touched hers, then lowered my voice. "I'ma be just fine." Pressing a light kiss to her nose, I pulled back with a smirk. "This is literally what I was made to do, and I'm good at it, Little Sugar. Damn good, if I say so myself. You gonna go with Demetri. He gonna keep ya safe; tomorrow, this all just gonna be a bad dream."

She remained quiet for a moment before she sniffled and licked her lips, glancing off to the side as a snarky little look settled on her features. She looked back at me. "So, tomorrow we won't be married?"

This... little... shit.

There was no way I was gonna be bested by a human so, heaving a hard sigh, I shook my head and looked at the ceiling. "Damn... shortest marriage in history." Grinning, I looked back at her. "Pitty you seem to want a divorce. We didn't even get to consummate our union."

I had never seen a human turn that shade of red that wasn't set on fire; the look of shocked horror was enough to make me laugh outright as she demanded to be let go. When I dropped my arms, she took a step back to glare at me, but there wasn't an ounce of heat in it. "You're an ass, know that?"

I nodded as I crossed my arms. "Sure do. Now, pack them papers, get dressed, throw some clothes in a bag, and come ta my office when you done. I wantcha off the property in a half hour."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 BPOV**

" _Listen good, Little Sugar. Once you leave, you ain't gonna be hidden no more like you is here."_

" _I've been hidden?"_

" _Too many bodies confuse vampire gifts, and mine throw off everyone. Once you get 'bout three miles away though, you only got Demetri, so you gonna be completely under his protection. You gonna haveta listen ta him, and you gonna haveta play along."_

" _Confuse vampire gifts?"_

" _A lot of gifts focus on the mind, Tessoro. When you have a lot of minds concentrated in once place, it muddies things a bit and makes it hard to focus on just one thing because there are numerous perspectives on the same thing. Also, with so many different ways one thing can go with so many vampires, it makes the future impossible to predict."_

" _You're talking about Alice."_

" _She isn't the only fortune teller in the vampire world. Master Aro has two in his employ, just not quite as accurate. With the Captain, his mind is such a maze, it's impossible for even Alice to know what his decisions are or how they will effect anything."_

" _She can't see you?"_

" _Nope, and so long as your future is twined with mine, she can't see your ass either. That said though, there gonna be a lot a uncertainty today, so once you leave with Demetri, the only thing that certain is you gonna be with him for a time. That means you ain't gonna be hidden from no one no more."_

I sat in the passenger seat of my car as Demetri drove away from Peter's place, the conversation I had with him and Peter before we left running through my mind. I mean, I guess I was curious how everything was going to play out, but I didn't know what all had been happening while at Peter's. I had no idea that was why he had so many guests that did nothing but knock down walls and drink his entire inventory of alcohol. I guess it made sense, even if it didn't answer a damn question.

Before we left, Peter handed Demetri an envelope, but neither one would tell me what was in it as Demetri tucked it into his inner jacket pocket. I also wasn't all that sure I wanted to know since they were being so secretive about it. Plus, neither one would tell me what the plan was once Demetri and I left. I was just handled into my car and we were off, heading back toward the Strip.

It was approaching twilight when he turned off the main road and took a few side streets, pulling to a stop outside a bar that was certainly off the beaten path. It had seen better days, and the look that overtook Demetri's face when he opened his door was all I needed to know that this was a pretty shitty place.

I waited in the car like I was told to until he opened my door, his hand appearing to help me out. When I took it and stood, he actually pulled me close to him as he shut the door. I looked up at him and saw his eyes scanning the area. When he was as satisfied as I'm sure he was gonna get, he wrapped my arm through his and dipped his head as we walked toward the door. "Do not stray too far from my side."

I nodded but didn't comment as he pulled open the door, allowing me to enter before him. My stomach rolled and eyes watered at the smell of something rotting. I didn't really want to take more than two steps inside, but a hand on the small of my back told me I didn't have a choice. With a whimper in my throat, I followed the unspoken command, and let him lead me to a table that was against a far wall. He sat with his back to it and facing the room while I sat with my back to the room facing him.

He pulled his hood down and started to take off his gloves when I leaned forward with my voice lowered. "Why here? If it smells this bad to me, I can only imagine how bad it is to you."

He didn't stop his task as he flicked his eyes to mine. "I have my reasons, Stella." Tucking his gloves away, he leaned back in his seat while crossing his arms. "There is no telling how stupid desperation will make someone, and no one will care when this place is leveled."

I didn't miss his choice of words. Clearing my throat, I clicked my tongue. "When?"

He gave his version of a reassuring smile. "It's always a matter of when. Desperate times and all that? I'm sure you know the phrase."

I did. I knew it pretty well, actually. It was desperation that led me to make that call to Peter. However, now was not the time I would have liked to see it become an actual decision someone makes. And, there was only one set of people I knew that could have been desperate when it came to me. Hearing the door open behind me while watching Demetri's eyes shift and darken, I gulped.

I felt my body stiffen as Demetri turned those pools of onyx on me. He didn't say anything, just reached into his jacket to pull out the envelope that Peter had given him, placing it on the table. With one finger, he slid it toward me as he stood.

"No matter what you hear, do not turn around. In five minutes, open this, and do what it says."

Looking at the envelope in front of me, I licked my lips and nodded. There was no need to say anything; I knew what was inside. It seemed I was back to where I was almost two weeks ago...

Following the commands of someone that wasn't really there.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 PPOV**

Standing on the balcony of the second story, my hands on the rail, I looked down at the group of vampires that looked back up me. It's been awhile since I've taken charge over what could be termed as an army, but it was something you don't forget how to do. A few subtle threats, a sprinkle of encouragement, plus a little offered incentives, and they eat out of the palm of your hand. Not all of them were going to survive, but that's not something you make common knowledge, either.

There was no plan, no blueprint for success. That would be stupid since there are times when no amount of planning lends itself to a favorable outcome. This was one of those times. I like to call those times 'flying by the hair on your ass'. You can only plan so much before you have to be... flexible. When you're made of stone, though, bending over to kiss your ass good-bye isn't actually possible without a little help from someone else.

Time was drawing closer. If the windows were open, we would be able to hear the approach, but it was better if they didn't know we knew they were coming. I was going to miss this place, but if everything went according to plan, an exact replica would be waiting for me and my girl in the hills of Colorado when this shit was over.

I might even be able to talk her out of that divorce if I tried hard enough.

My eyes shifted to the ceiling as I contemplated just how I was going to do that. I could romance her, get her to like the idea. I could just refuse to call Darek to have it nullified. That one, though, was gotten around if the little shit got her hands on my phone. I could ignore it completely in favor of the whole wait and see approach, but that wasn't really my strong suit. I was a 'right now' kind of guy. I didn't like to wait. I wanted what I wanted, and I wanted it now.

You can also be sure that when you're distracted, that's when shit hits the fan. I'm daydreaming about all the ways I can make that human mine and it look like her idea, because honestly that was the only way it was gonna happen, when the mother fuckers smashed right through the front of my goddamn house.

At some point while lost in the recesses of my mind, everyone else got ready, so after the hellacious kaboom that ripped me back from La La Land, they dove in head first, meeting those bastards head on. A quick scan of numbers, I grinned and hurtled the railing, landing in the center of the hoard of bodies. A hand on the floor for balance, I kicked a leg high to knock some poor newbie's head clean from his shoulders.

There is little I enjoy more than the sound of a head bouncing across the ground. The _thunk_ brought with it a level of comfort and nostalgia. It's not a very loud one, and it won't catch a lot of people's attention, but the body? The _bam_ of a statue slamming against tile certainly will. I felt eyes land on me, the sound of breaking stone stopping for a precious moment. _This... this is perfection._

Standing with a chuckle, I cracked my neck, cracked my knuckles, and smirked wide. "Ight y'all... let's dance."

There is nothing better than the look of horrified realization when someone knows they are about to die. They fight it, try to get away... but in the middle of nowhere, there was nowhere to go.

It was always the same... the youngest dying first. The strongest being sent to their deaths while the older, trainable waited with the second wave. You would think he would know better. I invented this fucking tactic, so it would never work against me. Brand new babies couldn't be trained, but they wouldn't give up either, making them the perfect front line.

A growl slipped from my lips as a tiny little thing, who couldn't have been more than the bare minimum age to be turned, jumped on my back and sank her teeth into the back of my shoulder. One hand over my head, the other around my side, I ripped the bitch in half, three of her teeth staying embedded in my skin. That was gonna hurt later.

Using her as little more than a makeshift bat, I swung her around, knocking another off their feet before planting my boot in his face, the skull shattering under the force.

Chaos and carnage, screams and snarls, shatterings and cracking... it was everywhere, all around me as I took the first wave out one by one. Me? I was laughing. This shit was better than a Saturday night at the titty bar.

Twenty minutes it took to clear out those who were in the house. Ten to deal with the weaker, older ones who waited outside who stood between me and mine and who sent them. Of my side, there were seventeen left to stare down the guards that stood opposite us. Their unwrinkled garb fluttered in the breeze, the loose top layer of sand creating a small cloud as it was blown about.

Most us men long since lost our shirts, plus the few ladies still with us were barely covered. My eyes locked on the burgundy eyes of the one that dared to declare himself my master. Well, I was about to make him my bitch.

His eyes and stance showed he knew he was out of his depths, the wish he had just stayed in Italy shining like a beacon. Acting brash on unverified information was never a good idea, but when it landed you on my doorstep, it was a death wish.

Still, to give credit, he tried. "I merely want the human, and we will leave you in peace."

A slow grin spread across my lips, a chuckle rumbling my chest as I curled my itchy fingers. "She ain't even here."

That seemed to have pissed him off. "I can smell her."

Lifting a shoulder, I made a noise in my throat. "Don't know what that matters. She ain't here. However, she mine, so you want her, you gonna hafta go through me first."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 3rd POV**

"You gonna bust."

A growl sounded in Bella's throat as her eyes shifted to look at Peter, who was seated two people down from her at the table. Like that was anything new. At this point, it wasn't about winning a hand. It was about losing as much of his money she could possible lose in a single hand. She was still a little salty with him, and this was the best she could come up with for revenge.

She didn't want to be there. She didn't feel comfortable around so many humans, but he didn't care to listen to her when she protested testing her control in a more concentrated setting. Sure, he stuffed her silly before they entered the tiny establishment, but that didn't make her feel any more in control when she sat next to a warm body and beating heart.

It had been just shy of a year since they met and ten months since he bit her. It was honestly not intended; she knew that. They were drunk -inexcusably so- and one thing leading to another, they ended up 'finally consummating their union', as Peter had put it. At some point in their drunken debauchery, Peter lost control of himself, his teeth sinking into her shoulder. By the time either one of them realized it happened, there was nothing they could about it.

She knew the specifics, but it didn't mean she was over it.

That said, he had spent everyday since then trying to make it up to her, but really, what could he do? It couldn't be taken back. She hadn't ever been pissed off about it, because somewhere in the back of her mind she knew it could happen. Even still, pissed or not, she was salty, and he didn't really blame her.

Now, it was the things she knew she had to do, but didn't want to do, that tended to lead to a fight. She didn't want to be where she was, yet he made her. She was coming up on her first year, and would eventually have to be able to be left on her own. The only way that could happen was if she proved she wouldn't slaughter the masses on the rare occasion she was left alone for more than a couple of days.

She was also being forced to hunt for herself, which was another point of contention between them. No, she wasn't into eating animals, though she did try once. It was more a mind fuck on her part because how do you decide who dies? Is it just the unlucky bastard that was in the wrong place at the wrong time? She knew Peter had actually broken into someone's house before because the dude pissed him off. Was that how she made her selection? They made her mad? Half of Forks would be on the menu if that was the case. Peter just told her to eat if she was hungry, but she was always hungry, so how was she supposed to know when to stop?

There were more questions than she had figured out the answers to, and though Peter tried to guide her to the answers, she just wanted him to _give them to her_. She didn't want the guess work. She didn't want to find out what happened if she was wrong. She certainly didn't want a child becoming an orphan because she just ate who was convenient. It was so frustrating, and he was so infuriating, Bella decided the best way to deal with him was to lose tens of thousands of dollars playing Blackjack.

Peter was not unaware of this.

When her cute little growl reached his ears, he chuckled and leaned back in his seat. It hadn't taken him long to catch on to her game. No one was this bad at cards. It seemed to take another level of skill to lose fifteen thousand dollars at a place whose gambling licence doesn't allow a single player to bet more than a grand a hand. Bella, however, had that skill.

It didn't matter though. It wasn't like her little game was going to ruin him or anything, or that money was all that important to him. It was the spark in her eyes when she knew she was going to lose big that made him snort or roll his eyes. It was at least once a month she did something like this, usually following an argument of some kind. She spent a few hours trying to bankrupt him, she felt better, then it was over until the next time.

He had to hand it to her, though; she took the change in a decent enough stride. She knew it was going to be in the cards for her eventually. He never hid that fact from her. However, it wasn't intended to happen how it did, or when it did.

The day he crippled the Volturi when they came for her, they had a talk when Jasper returned her to him at the rubble that was his house. He told her it would only be a matter of time before they came back. He used his favor with Demetri already, so when it happened again, it would very likely have a different outcome. She agreed then she wouldn't fight it when the time came, but they both thought it would be a little longer before it came to pass.

Alcohol was called Devil Juice for a reason, though.

When she woke up, there was the expected confusion, and the equally expected altercation. She put one hell of a fight, too. She had seen him play fight and spar enough times to have a somewhat decent idea of his fighting style. Those memories stayed with her through the change, and somehow, she was able to draw on them though the haze that affected every freshly woken vampires. She couldn't even see properly, yet she gave him an ass whoopin' like he hadn't gotten in decades.

That was the only time they ever got into a physical fight. Every other time, he had been able to stave her anger or get her to focus on something else to avoid a repeat of it. It took her six months, but there hadn't even been a near miss in the last four. Now, she hit him in the wallet, which he thought was cute as fuck.

Shifting his eyes to look at her, he smirked at her as he tapped a finger on the green felt of the card table, taking one last hit and scoring the magic number of 21. His smirk only grew as her eyes narrowed. He had effectively countered her little game; if the black eyes that were looking at him was any indication, she wasn't happy about it.

Too fucking bad.

Sure, they had some shit to keep working out, but eventually she would learn one very important lesson... she would never beat him. She could try, and he knew she would, but she would never win. What she was still over looking, though, was the simple fact that was still falling deeper into his trap that has been on going since the day she called him. The more she tried to best him, the further down the rabbit hole she was heading. Eventually, there would be nowhere to go. She would hit rock bottom, everyone does. When it happened, he would just sit back and watch as she lost her temper and painted the horizon red.


End file.
